1. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to safety lights for bicycles, and more particularly to self-contained starboard and port light units receivable in the back-swept hollow arms of a bicycle handlebar to provide blinking light signals that are highly visible to drivers of vehicles to the rear of the bicyclist.
2. Status of Prior Art
Bicycle accidents occur with a high degree of frequency particularly at night, for bicycle riders often share the same roads with vehicular traffic. A bicycle is a relatively small vehicle that in terms of visible structure is virtually two-dimensional; for its transverse dimension is defined only by the handlebars. Hence, it is normally quite difficult for car drivers to see and avoid bicyclists. It is for this reason that all bicycles are equipped at their rear with prism-type reflectors.
The problem with a prism-type reflector is two-fold; for not only is its normal placement below the seat of the bicycle and therefore not easily discernible to a driver of a vehicle behind the bicyclist, but it is not optically activated unless the headlight beam of the vehicle directly strikes the reflector. Thus, a prism-type reflector on a bicycle is often not seen by car drivers.
In order, therefore, to provide more effective safety signals, it is known to equip bicycles with lights that are battery operated. And instead of placing these lights on the frame of the vehicle, it is known in the prior art to mount them on the swept-back hollow arms of the bicycle handlebars, so that the driver in a car behind the vehicle will see lights on either side of the seated bicyclist and in this way gain a better impression of the presence of a bicycle.
The difficulty with known types of handlebar bicycle lights is that since they are battery powered, it necessary to wire the light bulbs to a battery pack mounted on the bicycle frame. To this end, the wires are usually threaded through the handlebar arms and pass through bores in the handlebar to the battery pack. One cannot, therefore, readily retrofit handlebar lights on an existing bicycle, and it is for this reason that the installation of handlebar lights is normally carried out at the factory.
It is also necessary with known types of bicycle lights to provide switches for the lights. These switches may be difficult to manipulate when the bicyclist is pedaling his bicycle and has his hands on the handlebar.